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Experiencing the Arts ||
"Art Curriculum Overview [pdf]"
Mayhem Poets (from left) Mason Granger, Scott Tarazevits and Kyle Sutton perform for Mascoma High School kicking off their four day residency
Ian Burnet and Eben Brown face off in a slam session at the Junior/Senior Mayhem Poet Residency - both students intend to compete with their slam routine at the Winter Carnival talent show culminating the residency
 
Mayhem Poets - At Home in the 'Scoma Dome!
Experiencing the Arts brought Mayhem Poets to Mascoma High School for a four day residency through funding from the Walker Fund. Experiencing the Arts is also funded by the NH State Council on the Arts and the Byrne Foundation. Mayhem Poets started their residency with an all school performance. This helped excite interest in their workshops. They had three two hour workshops each day. The workshops were divided by class in conjunction with Winter Carnival Week so that the students could participate for points for their class at the talent show. Each year the MVRHS Student Council coordinates a week long Winter Carnival. Each day the classes compete for points in typical activities such as volleyball, three-legged races, snow sculpture, and a talent show. This has been a spirit-building week. Last year, there was an outcry from the faculty to include some kind of an academic component to the week. The student council voted to include the Mayhem Poets residency as part of the 2007 Winter Carnival. The entire 9th grade class (nearly 100 students), three Sophomore English classes (about 70), and a select group of about twenty Juniors and Seniors participated with Experiencing the Arts (15 students) in the workshops. This year, at the Winter Carnival Talent Show, each grade was represented with a slam poetry entry.
From the Mayhem Poets: "Thanks for the opportunity to come to Mascoma, we enjoyed working with the different classes throughout the week and were pleased to see such creativity, imagination and considerable risk taking from the students with such an unfamilar art form. I really appreciate you switching the schedule around so I could work with the juniors and seniors 5th period and thanks for sending those links. The blog page and pictures look great. We'd love to hear from the particpants on how they felt their performances went or if their were any additional questions they might have for us. They can email us at mayhempoets@yahoo.com or thru our myspace page. Hope the rest of the year goes smoothly and we can visit again in the future."
What follows are student journal entries and a poems by participating students as well as images of the Mayhem poets working with the groups. Additional journal entries and reviews will be added to this article as they are received.
 
(left) Mayhem Poets' Scott goofs with Colleen McCleary (in hat). (right) Dan Cornell gives it up at the Junior/Senior workshop. Dan intends to perform his poetry at the Winter Carnival talent show.
Journal entries by Colleen McCleary
2/5/07
The first day of the mayhem poets workshop went really well. not many people had signed up at first, but after the performance a lot more people joined.
The poets started by giving us a little background information about themselves, most people were actually interested.
The poets then gave us a warm-up activity of writing anything that came to mind. I wrote about color which I really enjoyed. I think because the poets gave us so much freedom to write about whatever, everyone participated and enjoyed it.
Next the poets broke us into teams and had us create team names and slogans to share. My team was the Love Machines and our slogan was we love, we are not programmed to hate. Everyone else's team name and slogan were also funny. everyone really seems to enjoy having fun with it.
Next, the poets told us to write an advertisement for one of three objects, a hammer, a mirror, or a watch. Everyone got busy with the task. My team really seemed to enjoy it. Then we shared what we wrote will our team and then proceed the pick one person to read their writing in front of the whole group. Every group had someone willing to share. Some advertisements were ordinary but most were creative and funny.
After the sharing, we learned about word chains, they can be horizontal, vertical, and zig zag. the poets gave us one word and we branched off from that. For example, the poets gave us the word square, and I made this chain: Square dance revolutionary war and peace.
At the end of the workshop the poets gave us an assignment to write a love poet to an inanimate object and we read an example they created out loud. I wrote a love poem about Jello.
Dear Jello
I see you in your bowl
cubes of cherry flavored delight
-tape that bowl, I think I might.
And there it is your sexy little jiggle,
you got more groove than all of The Wiggles.
You have more colors too,
pink, green and sunny yellow,
Your sweet gelatin core is perfection,
My Jell-o fellow
I walk down the chinese food aisle,
and your in a lil' dish,
but you still got style
I don't even mind that gelatin contains horse feet.
Jell-o, the other red meat.
Before I drop this beat
I got these words to speak:
Jell-o, you wiggled your way,
into my heart.
-Colleen McCleary (poem performed in talent show)
Mayhem Poets' Mason shares laughter with Juniors and Seniors in their workshop
Journal entries by Colleen McCleary continued
2/6/07
Some students that were at the workshop yesterday did not show up today because they couldn't miss their regular classes, but the group remained about the same size because a few more people joined.
We shared our homework poems with the original group we had yesterday while one of the other poets worked with the other new people to introduce them to the slam style of poetry.
Everyone except for a couple of people did the homework assignment. Everyone's poems we really good, some really captured the slam poetry style while other stayed a more regular poetry style. I wrote a poem about jell-o. I am really proud of it.
We next learned more word play techniques, like double meanings. They gave us an example sheet with phrases on it like "I rock like Plymouth" or "I rock like paper sissors," we said these examples out loud and then created our own with different beginnings. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and have fun.
After this we learned about list poems and how to make them. We started writing our own after reading their example out loud. They gave us a homework assignment of finishing our list poems.
To end the day we finished out with a really fun activity; we created our own super heroes, their name, power and weakness. We shared these characters with the group as if we actually were the hero. I was bagel boy with the power to satisfy your carb cravings and my only one weakness is the Atkins diet.
2/7/07
We began the day by sharing our list poems while some new people did the superhero activity from yesterday. I liked the idea of the list poem, but I don't think the poem I made was as good as the one I made yesterday, but I shared it any way after encouragement from the poets and group. Not as many people did the homework assignment as yesterday, but few who did do it made really good and impressive poems. Everyone really liked them.
The poets worked with us on one poem that we wanted to improve by having us write a story/poem about how we got the inspiration to write the poem. We made the stories exciting by exaggerating them, like a tall tale. After that, they suggested that we incorporate a song or tune into it. Once we tried that, they had us incorporate an animal noise or action into the poem if we could. Everyone was able to do either one or both of these things and we shared our new and improved poems and they other new people shared their superheroes.
Once everyone that wanted to share did, the poets had us do an improvisational poem by having two people join them in standing in a line and they made up a poem by having each person only say one word at a time to form a sentence, it was really fun.
2/8/07
The last day of the mayhem poet workshop was used to review, share and prepare. We all went around in a circle and read one of our finished poems and everyone else gave us comments on how we could perform the poem. Then we talked with the Mayhem Poets about how to further our educations in performance or visual arts, such as what collage majors we could pick or what jobs we could maybe get.
After that I joined forces with my friend Eben and we sort of mixed our two totally different poems into one performance poetry piece with help from the poets. We practiced it after figuring it all out. When it came time to perform the poem in front of the whole school with Eben I was to nervous because we had practiced and if something did go wrong we could always just improvise. Finally reciting the poem was very fun. I love performing. We completed the poem with only a few minor errors that didnít really mess anything up to bad. The audience seemed to like it a lot and they even laughed at the humorous parts of the poem. The judged seemed to enjoy it also, and they must have because Eben and I were ecstatic to learn the next day that we had won the poetry slam.
Overall, the Mayhem poets workshops were very rewarding for me and my class mates. I learned a lot and discovered that I liked poetry a lot more than I thought. It really opened my eyes to a new kind of performance art. Just the performance the poets gave to the whole school had a great impact on every in the school as a whole. I heard several times form people who would not normally enjoy poetry that it was the best assembly the school has ever had. The respect given to the Mayhem Poets by the student body was way greater than any other Experiencing the Arts assembly we have ever had.
Mayhem Poets' Kyle Sutton in the 10th grade workshop
Journal entries by Nic Tedesco
Monday February 5th
It was kind of weird being with the poets after a great performance, not quite comfortable yet with these people foreign to our school using words to expand minds. It was awkward at least and kind of quiet, everyone not sure whether they want to be there or not. Then we get sheets with exercises on them with a small address by who seems to be the leader of the group, Kyle. We do the exercises uneventfully and practice with the group, still uncomfortable with these outsiders. Then with but 5 minutes left we get to have somewhat of a freestyle with the Mayhem Poets interacting with us, and a sudden interest and comfort strikes everyone and the group is no longer foreign.
Tuesday February 6th
Will the awkwardness return the next day or will we pick up where we left off in the last five minutes of electricity from the last day. We had lost the momentum, but with help from a few kids really getting into it, we had a pretty solid writing session and had fun doing it, the most successful skits being the ones where pop culture references can be made and rather than the conventional school day everything isn't PG. The most fun exercises being the create a superhero and He am hot like, I am deep like and so on.
Wednesday February 7th
Probably the best day up to this point, the entire time was used to perform and have fun rather than just given work sheets we were told what to do. We had pretty much endless possibilities to create writing of our own. The poets had found somewhat of a comfort level with us and out personalities rather than just
going to indoctrinate a style into us and get past the time and move on. The laughter came in bunches, all of the exercises read out loud and all were funny or entertaining enough to keep 15-16 year old attention to the front.
Thursday February 8th
The most eventful day at the Mayhem Poets, although not having as much energy to follow up the fantastic workshop on Wednesday. The material used by the poets and acting was phenomenal, although not getting the uproar as days past. The final poems brought some spice to the day, mainly "dissing" other people or groups of people as a stereotype including a vegetarian and a white hip hop reference. Although a final poem before the bell rang created some conflict among three students, it was quickly over.
Nic Tedesco
Poet: Molly Darisse (poem performed in talent show)
Could you jump in the air,
and understand the feeling,
of what it's like with no ground beneath?
Could you look down below,
past yourself for once,
and see the people underneath?
Could you walk on your own,
get off your high horse,
and survive on the battle grounds?
Could you live in the shoes,
of the average guy,
and take what comes around?
Journal entry: Rebecca Gooch 10th Grade
During the Mayhem Poet workshop, the Mayhem Poets taught us many different ways to write poems. We were asked to write love poems about nonliving objects, write poems about a superhero that you want to be, and write a poem about the life of a random object. During the workshop they also perform and teach us how to write in different ways. At the beginning of the workshop yesterday, the Mayhem Poets performed a List Poem. The Mayhem Poet's List Poem was about race and different nationalities. All of the Mayhem Poets performed together and blended their performance together to make one. The Mayhem Poets also included us in their performances. For one exercise, they took two kids from our class to do a skit with the Mayhem Poets. The Mayhem poets are also very good at making everyone feel welcome. For example, before someone performs the Mayhem poets get the audience to chant the person's name or say something so the performer feels welcome and comfortable to perform.
Mr. Dukeshire (raising hand) gave the entire ninth grade the opportunity to work with Mayhem Poets.
From: Elise Foxall
I am Sam Foxall's mom and a MS English teacher at the Richmond school in Hanover. I have to tell you that this morning on the way to school Sam mentioned that the poetry workshop he's involved in at school is the best thing that has happened to him at Mascoma this year. (This is his first year in the district). Thanks for making that happen.
Jeannie Valkevich, Dartmouth student intern
The Mayhem Poets provided a refreshing alternative learning experience for the students of Mascoma Valley Regional High School this week.
The opening performance on Monday grabbed the attention of the student body. Watching the poets have fun and be silly with their verse helped some students get over their "too cool for poetry" syndrome, and no doubt contributed to the popularity of the following workshops throughout the week.
During the few workshops I observed, I noticed students excited about participating in ways I have not seen with their usual school work. The poets provided a wonderful creative outlet for students throughout the week, and as they left the library on Thursday afternoon, I heard a student comment, "those guys were the coolest people I have met in my whole life" (not kidding).
Overall, the Mayhem Poets put on a wonderful program that greatly benefited those who participated.
Poet: Mario Gould
Martin Luther King Had a Dream
He had a dream
A dream of freedom from civil unrest
Lifting the weight from the black man's chest.
He had a dream,
A dream of beauty in black and white,
A society with out the need to fight.
He had a dream,
Of climbing that oversized mountain,
Two races and one water fountain.
He had a dream,
Black and white would become one,
But a difference in race,
Brought fear to every face.
A shot from the other side,
Martin Luther Kind died.
An Influence to us all,
He lies in harmony, at rest.
Martain Luther King, a proud man,
Had a dream.
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